This is a guide for future-to-be bloggers which will enable them to create a blog fast and without any cost. However, I will not be going through free blog services such as Vox, Blogspot and the likes where future-to-be bloggers only need to sign up an account and start posting blog posts.
If you are the future-to-be bloggers who want to start up a blog while giving you the ability to design and modify your blog anytime you want, this is the guide for you.
A Little Bit of My History
I tried to write diaries but only to find myself given up after a few days later. My first ever blog was on Yahoo 360, started last year around August. I then switched to Vox in January because I just wanted the ability to change the date and time of my posts. It was quite important for me to change the date and time because at the beginning, I saved my posts in my Nokia E61 before transferring them to my computer for posting.
By mid March, I was thinking of the ability to change the whole appearance as well as customizing the coding. Well, initially, the idea of leaving my memories in the blog as I post seems to be wonderful. As time goes by, the idea is still wonderful except that I like to fiddle around with the coding and as well as to learn more stuff.
I have started with basic HTML knowledge and no PHP or CSS knowledge at all. Now, I am proud to say that I have the intermediate knowledge on HTML and CSS and some basic knowledge on PHP.
Do not worry at all. Learning HTML and CSS is just an extra for you to understand what is behind the blog. If you just want to blog, leave the coding alone then.
Free Hosting
Nowadays, you can find free hosting available for you to choose. Competition is getting tough and they offer all kinds of services to attract consumers. Here, I will be recommending 110mb. As you can see from my URL, I am with them. It is free but not totally free. Additional services such as SQL, SendMail, Backup and the likes are available for some fees.
I had recently paid $5 for SendMail service which enables my blog visitors to send me email through the contact form supplied in my blog. Well, it is only a one-time fee and I believe it certainly worth the price.
With 110mb, you do not have to include any advertising and you are free to do anything as long as you follow their terms and conditions. So far, my blog was down twice but the administrators were able to fix the problems within 12 hours.
Flatpress blog
Needless to say, my blog is a flatpress blog. If you sign up an account with 110mb, you have an application option where you are able to choose more than 30 types of applications which include blogs, forums, gallery, CMS and the likes. However, you can only install a maximum of 5 applications because the administrators want to prevent users from installing application just for the fun of it.
Not all the applications need MySQL and Flatpress is one of them. Well, I have been thinking lately the idea to change my Flatpress blog to WordPress by getting MySQL package. Anyhow, it is just a thought. Transferring the contents and setting up may take up a lot of time.
Select Flatpress from the 1-Click Application Installer and your blog will be ready in minutes. Once installed, just type your blog URL and you will be guided to some simple setup process and creation of user account for your blog. After that, installation is history and from the blog you have just created, everything is WYSIWYG.
Files and Backup
110mb File Manager
Moving files and adding pictures are a little bit difficult if you use the 110mb File Manager where you are limited to transfer only three files at a time. If you want to edit the coding of CSS and PHP files, it is not quite possible to edit them using 110mb File Manager because every time I tried editing, it just showed me a blank screen. The only way to edit the files, solely depending on 110mb File Manager is to download the file you want to edit, and upload it again when you done editing.
110mb does not backup for users and it is users' responsibilities to backup their files in their computer. Backup is totally impossible unless you have the time to download each file from each folder and organize them neatly if you were to use 110mb File Manager.
They have recently included a backup feature but you will have to pay a one-time fee of $7. Unless you want to pay the amount, read more below.
Net2FTP
This is an online FTP but you have the choice to download the program as well. I do not usually blog using my home computer and thus, I always use the online service. Compared to other online FTP, this is considered the fastest and easiest to use. In addition, you can also install Flatpress and other Java program from here too.
As I have mentioned, the 110mb File Manager is quite difficult to use if you are going to transfer a lot of files. Using Net2FTP, you have the options to upload file by file or a single zip file. When uploading a zip file, Net2FTP will unzip the files for you and it is very useful if you want to upload a lot of pictures or restore your blog.
Well, before restoring, you will need to backup your files. Check all the files and folders that you can see at the root of your 100mb space, and click the download button. My blog is about 6-8 megabytes and it normally takes about 5-10 minutes to backup. Net2FTP will zip all your files and let you save to any location that you wish.
Verdict
I would say that it is rather simple to create your very own blog. You only need 110mb and Net2FTP with some simple understanding of English and off you go. As you blog, you learn. When you feel that you want to change the design, you will want to start learning the coding. Otherwise, there are other themes which you can download from the internet just by Googling.
One piece of advice, remember to backup when you are trying to do some major changes. Also, do a backup periodically and save it into your computer. You would not want to loose your files when you wake up in the morning.
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